Going Home
by fivewits
Summary: “Well. I’ll see you in about a week. Goodbye.” Immediately, all movement stopped as all heads turned to Raven. She had been called home. But what trials await her there? BBRae
1. 1

This sotry will be multi-chapter. I'm trying to be better at updating, really I am. But, unfortuantly, with exams going on, I can't promise anything. Sorry, but enjoy anyway and know that I will update...eventually.

* * *

It was a normal morning in Titan's Tower. Beast Boy and Cyborg were having their usual discussion on the merits of eggs vs. tofu. Robin was trying to convince Starfire that humans did not use mustard as a beverage. Raven sighed as she walked in. It was impossible to get any sort of peace around here! Not that she'd be here for long anyway…

"Well. I'll see you in about a week. Goodbye." Immediately, all movement stopped as all heads turned to Raven.

"E…excuse me?" She sighed,

"I've been called home. I'll be back in a week." Seeing their expressions, she grimaced. "No, I'm not getting married." She turned to leave, when a green body appeared in front of her.

"Oh no you don't! You're gonna have to give a reason! You can't just leave out of nowhere!" Raven calmly moved around him.

"It is none of your business. It doesn't affect you aside from the fact that I will not be here."

"Raven! You're our friend. Whatever happens to you, it affects us." She didn't even turn to Robin.

"Not this time it doesn't. I'll be back within the week. I promise." With that she headed upstairs to leave. Robin turned to Cyborg and Starfire, who nodded. They ran after her, followed closely by Beat Boy, who was still confused about the whole matter. But even so, he wasn't about to let Raven just walk out of his life for a week.

"Friend Raven! Even if it does not affect us, we would be happy to accompany you on your journey. I would be glorious to view where you were born…" Raven curtly shook her head, and continued towards the roof.

"We got chewed out for following you, and that was an emergency. You stay here. You're still needed."

"Still man, someone should go with you."

"I don't need any one. Teleporting will be hard enough as it is without tag alongs."

"Well….alright, but you will back, right?" Raven turned back to them, just in the doorway to the roof.

"Of course. You're all the family I have now." Quickly she turned away, blushing. She had said too much. "See you later" She concentrated on creating a portal that would be able to jump to the nearest rest point. Though she didn't notice, a little green bug jumped onto her shoulder. Robin gave the thumbs up sign. Mission accomplished. Someone would be with Raven if things got bad. She walked through the portal,

The scenery one the other side was pretty lifeless. Just bare rock from where she was standing until the horizon.

"One down, 3 more to go." All the while, Beat Boy stayed quiet. He was positive that if revealed himself now, Raven would send him home, after giving him a good beating. So, he waited a couple of transportations.

* * *

Finally, Raven stopped. Through bug eyes, he could see someone greeting them. But it was in a language he didn't understand. They gestured, and Raven nodded. She headed towards a large palace. Once inside a bedroom, she took off her hood. 

"Alright Beast Boy. You can come out. I won't kill you…yet." Not particularly comforted, he reverted back to human and grinned nervously. "I assume the others know you're here?"

"Uh...yeah." a few minutes passed before Beast Boy couldn't stand the silence any more. "So…nice place you got! Are you a princess, like Star?" For a moment, he thought he saw a flash of sadness cross her face, but it was gone within an instant.

"No. My mother was highly respected here though. So they give me nice rooms and tolerate me." Even Beast Boy could tell by her tone that he should drop the subject. But he mentally filed it away for later questioning

"So….uh….why are we here?"

"You're here because you directly disrespected my wishes and followed me when I expressly told you to stay behind."

"Yeah…opps….why'd you come here anyway?"

"I was called."

"For what?"

"That is none of your business."

"C'mon Rae! Don't be like that! I just wanna help!" She threw a pillow at him.

"It's not wanted. You'll be needing that." She gestured to the pillow. "There won't be any rooms left, so you get the couch." She pointed him to a living area conjoined to her room. There was a small couch. But it looked comfy enough that he didn't complain.

"What now?"

"I have to go meet with some representatives to make arrangements for everything…"

"What should I do? Can I come with you?" She sighed. Everything was wearing down her barriers, her patience and her brain.

"…I suppose. Just stay silent. You won't understand anything. Not many people speak English around here." She pulled her hood back on and he followed her out the door and into the hallway. It really beautiful. The large windows let in light from the nearest star, and the decorating seemed to lean towards simplicity, but a closer look brought more complexity then he would've imagined.

"What arrangements are you making? Is there some kinda ceremony that you have to attend?"

"I guess you could call it that."

"Is your mom gonna be there? You said she lived here."

"She did Beast Boy."

"So were is she now?"

"…dead. This is her funeral." Beast Boy stopped behind her. How could she be so calm? She was called to her mother's funeral, and she acted like it barely mattered.

"I…I'm sorry. Was it sudden?" Raven stopped walking, but refused to turn to him.

"I don't know. I haven't been allowed to contact her in along time." He couldn't be sure, but Beast Boy could swear that he could hear her repressing tears. He slowly walked up until he was directly behind her.

"Rae…why?"

"Because. No one's supposed to care about me." She took a breath, and spoke as if she had memorized her next speech. "Feelings are exploitable by my father. To insure I never give into the darkness that is laced into my flesh Arella, my mother, was forbidden to touch me. Hardly ever came to see me. It is forbidden to express feelings such as love or care towards me, because I can't feel." She turned to Beast Boy. Though he could clearly see her eyes were bright with unshed tears, her voice was as steady as ever. "Not that it is really necessary. Who's about to care for a half-demon anyway?" She turned back and kept walking.

"Rae! Raven! You know that's not true! We care about you. All of the Titans."

"I know. Sit here and wait." She pointed to a couch that was waiting before the entrance to a small room. Obediently, he sat and watched her go in on her own. Once he was sure that she was out of ear shot, he got out his communicator.

"Guys?" there was static until Cyborg's voice came online.

"B! Hey man, what's up?" Beast Boy sighed.

"It's nothing huge on the scale of a kidnapping or anything, but…"

"But what? What is the matter with friend Raven?"

"It's her mother. She just died. Raven is attending her mother's funeral." There was silence on the other line. Beast Boy was afraid he'd been off until Robin's voice came.

"Oh…God, poor Raven." Beast Boy nodded, although they couldn't see him.

"I know…that's not even the worst of it, but…well, let's just say Raven's life hasn't been rainbows…" He heard footsteps. "Gotta go." A chorus of goodbyes was heard before he shut off the communicator and settled into the couch, trying to look innocent. But it wasn't Raven, as he was expecting. Instead, a native Azarathian came around the corner.

"Hello." She said, in perfect English. "You must be from Earth." He nodded, not quite sure what to do. "Are you lost? How did you come to be here?"

"No, I'm just waiting for my friend. She brought me here."

"Who would that be? I don't know of anyone who has been anywhere close to Earth."

"Raven, Raven…" He realized that he had no clue what Raven's last name was. So he just shrugged. The girl started laughing.

"Raven? Ha ha ha! That's a good one!" Utterly confused, he stared at her. "You mean you weren't joking?" He shook his head. "Hosora and Azar! You mean that _thing_ has friends? You must not know her very well then! You seem to smart enough to dump her once you found out. Listen. She's half-demon. She's dangerous. You shouldn't hang around with things like her. My suggestion would be get her to send you back home, and forget her. If you're afraid, I'm sure we could find…" She stopped when Beast Boy shook is head. He was speechless. _This_ was how Raven was treated? No wonder she left. Just as he was about to voice his thoughts, Raven appeared in the doorway.

"Jerichana. How nice to see you." The girl, Jerichana, jumped up to face Raven. She looked petrified, but managed to sneer as she ran away.

"Wow, something sure scared her! Must've been my amazing talents…." He trailed off as he saw Raven staring in the direction Jerichana had fled. "Hey, you alright?" She nodded and started to walk to their rooms. "You do know that you shouldn't take any notice of what they say, right? I mean, it doesn't matter 'cause you have friends now. You're like family to the Titans. You'll always be welcome there."

"Thanks Beast Boy. For everything." She walked into the room. Cautiously, he followed, but passed by the bed to crash onto the couch. It was more comfy then he had thought. He was asleep within minutes. But, even in sleep his mind would not let him forget the ill treatment that these people gave to his friend.


	2. 2

An update! And it hasn't even been a month. Well...that's cutting it close, but still! Hope you like it!

* * *

Beast Boy was awoken the next day by yelling in Raven's room. Surprised, he moved to hear better, but couldn't understand the words anyway. All he knew is that it wasn't Raven. Opening the door, he saw Raven sitting on a chair, being yelled at by a older man. She didn't seemed at all phased. When the man paused to catch his breath she said something calmly. The man glared at her, nodded, and stormed off. Raven shook her head slightly, then turned towards Beast Boy.

"Come in." She said. He did.

"Dude, what was that all about? He seemed really PO'ed!" Raven toke out a piece of parchment, and began writing in a language that he didn't recognize.

"He was commenting on the fact that I was on Azarathian soil. I suggested to him that if they wished me to leave, then they had better get their preparations finished." She rolled up the note, and sealed it with wax.

"So…when is this thing?"

"Moonset, tonight. After that, we go home." He was about to ask why so soon, when he realize that that was probably what the man had been saying, get out of our sight as soon a possible. They really did not want Raven here.

"Anything else you have to do?" She sighed, and brought her hands up to rub her temples.

"Millions of things." Bringing out another piece pf parchment, she began to read the characters on it.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"You can shut up."

"…sorry…" She continued working in blissful silence for another 5 minutes, while Beast Boy wandered around the room, poking at things that looked vaguely interesting, trying to find someway to quietly amuse himself.

There was no technology anywhere in the room. As far as he could tell, there wasn't even electricity on this planet. The lamps were filled with a glowing globe, some form of magic. So, he was surprised when he came across something that looked a lot like a photograph. Except it moved.

"Coolness! That's just those Harry Potter movies! Where the photos move!" Raven glared at him.

"What are you talking about?" He picked up the frame, which showed a woman of about 20 smiling, and performing different tasks. Raven stood up abruptly, and took the picture from him.

"Hey, who is that? Do you know her?"

"It's…Arella."

"Your mom?" He watched as Raven fiddled with the engravings around the frame. Soon, a holograph formed, showing the scene. Now that he was watching it, he could see that she looked much like a human, older Raven. Long black hair, graceful fingers…they shared the eyes. It was unusual colour, and noses, they were the same shape…Beast Boy snapped out it, he was analyzing this way too much.

He looked at Raven to see what she thought, and, was surprised. Raven watched the woman that was her mother almost hungrily. At that moment, Beast Boy realized that she really did miss Arella. She didn't show it, but she was deeply saddened by the death.

Turning back to the hologram, he was surprised, it wasn't just showing one scene, it was showing Arella's life. Now she was 25-30.

As they watched, a sickness began to take hold of Arella's body. In the speed up video, they watched her grow weaker and more sickly. She was bedridden now. And apparently delirious. A few touches by Raven, and the video slowed down, they could hear what was happening. The doctors attending to Arella conferred quietly in the background, but what Beast Boy and Raven heard was Arella. She screaming in English.

"Raven! Raven, my daughter, child of my heart! Where are you? Why can I not find you? Why aren't you here?" Raven watched as her mother died without seeing her daughter again. Beast Boy watched Raven. She was sad. There were no tears. Not even a hint of liquid in her eyes, but he could the depression rolling off of her.

He couldn't even relate to what she had to be going through. Though his parents had died, he'd seen them often, gotten along with them, had fun times…even gotten to say good bye, in a way. But Raven hadn't had any of those things. The hologram shut off.

"Rae?" She didn't respond. Instead, she was staring at the spot where the picture of her mother had been. Slowly, Beast Boy got up and towards her. Gently, he reached out towards her. "Hey, are you OK?" The hand reached her shoulder. Raven drew back as soon as he touched her.

"Don't touch me." She stated. She grabbed another letter to read, but he noticed that her eyes weren't moving, she was just staring at the same point. "What are you still doing here? Go away." He sat stubbornly beside her.

"No. I won't. You're sad and upset and I won't leave you alone like that."

"I'm fine."

"Liar." She didn't reply, but kept pretending to read. Setting down the current letter, she picked up another one. "So...what are those about anyway?" Anything to keep her talking.

"Nothing important."

"If it wasn't important, you wouldn't be reading them." She threw the parchment down angrily.

"What is your deal? Why can't you just leave me alone!" Something exploded in the background, she sat down and closed her eyes. They opened again rapidly, when arms wrapped around her. Beast Boy had stood up and come behind her.

"'Cause. I care 'bout you Rae. I know you're upset. You're not fooling me." A tear slipped out from her eye. Her mask was starting to crack. Eyes closed again, she whispered so softly that Beast Boy had to concentrate to hear it.

"I…I just miss her…" His arms tightened around her.

"I know you do." She stood up, breaking the embrace.

"I admitted it. Now will you leave me alone?" Her voice wasn't nearly as strong as usual. It quavered slightly and was much softer.

"Nope. I'm not running. You're running enough for both of us." Attempting to ignore him, as well as his remark, she picked up an envelope. At least, she began to, before it was snatched out of her hands.

"Beast Boy!"

"Don't ignore me Raven. I don't like it."

"Get used to it." She tried to grab the letter, but he moved it out of her reach. He dropped he letter on the table. As she moved to get it, he caught her in another embrace.

"Rae, Raven, don't do this. Please, just open up to me. I wanna help." She looked at him, but didn't make any move to turn away from him.

"You're not doing a very good job of trying to help." He was starting to get frustrated. She kept refusing to let emotions out. He knew why, but he also knew it couldn't be healthy.

"That's not the help I mean, and you know it." She lowered her head to rest against his chest. The back of her mind noted that he'd grown over the years.

"I do…" She admitted. Her barriers were crumbling fast, but, she was so tired of keeping them up, she didn't care. Every thing was just getting to be too much. Her mother, the people of Azarath, Beast Boy…she wrapped her arms around him to return the embrace. If something blew up, she was too into the moment to notice.

Beast Boy smiled slightly as she hugged him. There was things she should be doing, but he was determined to let them have a few minutes, just to let her lean on him. Gather comfort while she could. Because he had a funny feeling that she would need it very soon.


	3. 3

All too soon, Raven realized that she should be doing other things. Slowly, she backed out Beast boy's embrace and away from his comfort. Keeping her eyes lowered, she sat again to read the letters. She hated reading them. They were all pretty mundane, but, her mother's will should be in here. She discarded another letter that was useless, and moved onto the next.

Beast Boy watched as she avoided looking at him, and read. He across from her.

"So, you gonna tell me what those are about now?" She didn't look up, but replied.

"Information on daily affairs. They gave me the stack which the information I need is in. It's up to me to find it." She picked up the next one. This was it! Scanning quickly, she grabbed an empty piece of parchment and started copying it. She needed to have a copy, so that she could carry out the instructions perfectly.

Beast Boy looked over her shoulder. She was writing in what he assumed was the language of Azarath. He couldn't understand a bit of it.

"Um…that looks very pretty…what is it?" She looked up at him, surprised that he had moved without her noticing.

"It's…my mother's will" She hated the fact that, at times, he could make her give up the answer so easily.

"Oh…" he didn't want to bring up any emotional topics, but curiosity got the better of him. "So, what's it say?"

"That's not really any of your business now is it?" Why did he insist on prying? It was difficult enoughto deal with his curiosity in the best of moods. But now, he was getting extremely aggravating.

"I'm your friend. I'm making it my business." he said, with his arms crossed stubbornly. She snapped.

"Would you just leave me the hell alone? Is that so hard for you to do?" He growled softly, and stepped back a few paces. She was so frustrating! Just minutes ago, she had been willing to share with him, now she was back to being her normal self. What did it take to her to open up, and stay that way for more then a minute? He wanted her to trust him enough that she shared her pain.

Raven put the letter back into the envelope. But, in the process, found it contained another piece of parchment. This one was tattered, seemingly ripped off something else. And, it was written in English, by an unsteady hand. Reading it over carefully, she placed it a pocket that was hidden in her cloak. Luckily for her, Beast Boy was to deep in thought to realize the sudden tear that fell from her eyes. Quickly, she swiped it away. She was lucky that Beast Boy was engaging in thinking, which he rarely did. She had to calm down before she blew up something else. Too many emotions were getting way too out of hand. It was going to be hard to bring them back into order.

Beast Boy came out of his thinking state, to find Raven meditating. And he sighed. He knew very well why she couldn't open up to him, at least, not without fear of destruction. But, he didn't care at this point. He cared about Raven, and her well-being. And she hadn't been acting normal since they had arrived. Slowly, he walked up to her, careful to not interrupt her. When he was right in front of her, he poked her shoulder.

Raven was jolted out of meditation to find Beast Boy standing in front of her, glaring.

"OK, I've been nice, considering, but, I wanna know exactly what's going on!" She glared back as best she could.

"It is none of your business. You're not even supposed to be here, so don't try and pry into my life! If you'd stop trying to do so, we wouldn't be having this fight every five minutes!" Her emotions were not in order yet. Many were still wayward, and out of her control.

Beast Boy continued glaring as she put her feet on the ground, and tried to walk away. As he wasn't about to let her do that this time, he forcefully grabbed her shoulder.

"Oh not this time you don't!" She winced as objects in the room that had been previously surrounded inblack exploded.. "Rae, this almost exact scene happened, like, five minutes ago. I want to stop this from happening again." He whirled he around, so her back was to the wall and she was facing him. "What's going on? Something's bugging you, and it's not just your mother's death. That doesn't even explain half of what's been happening" She turned her head away, concentrating on something else, ignoring him. He suppressed the urge to simply slap her. Not only was that nothing like him, but it wouldn't solve anything. Instead, he roughly took her chin and made her face him. "Raven tell me. Now. I care about you. I wanna help. I already told you that. Why do keep running?" Raven knew she didn't have an answer for him. Not one that would make sense or that she really wanted to divulge to him. Instead, her reliable sarcasm bubbled up to save her.

"What if I don't tell you? Wait, I saw this in a movie once. You'll do something terrible or horrible beyond imagination?" He growled again, more audibly as she angrily continued her tirade. "Forget it Beast Boy. I'm not someone who's easily understood. People don't understand me. You don't understand me. _I_ don't understand me. What's going on here has absolutely nothing to do with you, so give it a rest! Stop questioning…" He interrupted her softly.

"You know what Raven, you're right."

"I am?" She looked at him for the first time.

"I am going to do something terrible and horrible beyond imagination, if you don't tell me." She shrank back, at least, as far as the wall would let her. Her emotions were running more rampant then ever. Her powers, for now, were too busy wrecking havoc on the room to be of any use to her.

"Oh yeah, like what?" She was trying to sound confident.

Suddenly, another tear fell. Her emotions were breaking her barriers so fast, that there was nothing left of them but rubble. Suddenly gentle, Beast Boy removed a hand from her shoulder to brush the tear away.

"I'll kiss you."

* * *

Ok, ok, I know, it's an awful cliff hanger. I'm sorry about the wait, but there's this thing called 'school' and I'm still trying to work around it. So far, it's not working as well as I'd hoped. Oh well. until next time. Which will hopefully be sooner rather then later. Please tell me if I'm not making sense with the story. Thanks for reading 


	4. 4

Alright, before I get on with the chapter, i would just like to say I am absolutely overwhelmed with the review responses. Thank you! The sheer number made me get up and write this really really fast (well, fast for me). I hope that this is also to your liking. Also, the rating has been upped because of some cursing. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.

* * *

Raven stared at him.

"You'll _what_?" He didn't answer, but leaned closer, still wiping away errant tears on her face.

"So, are you going to tell me or what? Because, believe me, that wasn't a empty threat." Secretly, he rather hoped that she didn't tell him. Though it would end up getting him very frustrated and without answers, the reward would be worth that and more. Yet, it hurt him to know that it was a threat to Raven, when it would be a pleasure for him.

"Just…just leave me alone!" Tears were coming faster. She needed to get away from all of this. Away from the room with the remnants of disaster, away from the reality of death, away from her heritage that caused her to be hated, and, most of all, away from the feelings that were emanating from the green teenager in front of her. She had no illusions as to what would happen if he carried through with his threat. Total destruction was pretty much the best she could hope for.

"Raven, that's not an answer." He leaned in closer towards her. She was about to turn her head to avoid his lips, when her mind caught a hold of the fact that she wanted this. She wanted him to kiss her. So, instead of catching her cheek, as she intended, Beast Boy caught full on her mouth which was partially open in surprise. Deep within her mind, she recognized what was happening, but, she was still trying to get over the shock that she liked Beast Boy. More then a friend should.

Beast Boy, for his part, was also in shock that he had carried the 'threat' through. Though, he wasn't about to complain. He decided that his actions were for the better when he felt Raven slowly respond to him. Softly, her hands entangled in his hair. Anything in the room that wasn't already completely destroyed exploded, but he didn't cared. All frustrations he had felt previously melted away.

Suddenly, she pulled back. This couldn't be allowed to happen. Even if it meant sharing unpleasant things with Beast Boy, she had to stop this.

"I'll tell you…" Gently, he ran a hand over her lips.

"Damn, you should have said that sooner..." As much as he wanted to hear her explanation, he wasn't able to make himself stop their tryst there.

Raven was having trouble bringing her thoughts together enough to start. Her organs felt as though they had turned to warm fluids, including her brain. What could she tell him? Where should she start? The kiss wasn't helping either. She deeply regretted responding so eagerly…well, maybe not so deeply. In fact, truthfully, she had wanted it, and still did on some level. She was attracted to him. And, because she was submerged in these thoughts, the logical part of her mind did not register Best Boy advancing once again. So, once again, she did not move, but eagerly leaned towards him. The instant after their lips meet, the door opened. It took both of them a moment to realize that there was another person in the room who was currently yelling , at which point the two Titans jumped nervously part.

"…shocked and appalled at such blatantly disregard for property and of mourning ceremony. You of all people should be aware of what is appropriate behavior!" the older woman continued ranting, seeing that she now had the attention of both. "Raven, I'm not only extremely disappointed by your lack of propriety, but I despair to think of what your poor mother, Azar bless her soul, would think if she were to witness that…that _display_, during the period of her mourning!" Beast Boy, staring at her, noticed something odd. He heard English, but the woman's lips were moving out of synch with her words. Another thing, was that Raven was slowly wilting under the tirade. Her head was bowed, and her shoulders shaking. As the woman paused for a breath, he heard say, very softly.

"I apologize. I was not thinking correctly. It should never have happened."

"You are absolutely right! You know what your birthright entitles you to, and affection is not it. You have endangered us all simply by being here. I would thank you to remember why our skies are in turmoil, why are pacifistic ways are now only an ideal, or why you mother is dead." She hissed, slowly walking towards the hunched figure that was Raven. "Your birth caused it. You are His portal. You are the reason of our downfall." Beast Boy had had quite enough. He ran between the two.

"Whoa, whoa, time out here! It's my fault really, I apologize for the room, but you shouldn't blame everything on Raven, she's not responsible for ever bad thing that happens!" The woman glared at him.

"You know little, and understand even less." She spat at their feet, and stalked out the door, slamming it behind her. He stuck his tongue out in the direction she departed.

"Yeah, and good riddance!" He turned back to were Raven was lumped against the wall. "Hey...Rae?" She didn't move "Raven? You did say you were gonna tell me what this was about…didn't you?" He thought she had, but, his memory of that moment was more caught up in the kiss rather then her words. Suddenly, her head snapped up towards him. He found himself looking into her eyes. There were beautiful, and looking down slightly, there were her lips…she broke the spell by talking harshly.

"You shouldn't have done that. Any of that. They are correct to blame me, because it's my fault. My birth caused the ills of this dimension. My actions will cause it's demise. It's all foretold. I was stupid to even tempt fate. It was inappropriate to act as we did during a mourning ceremony. It should never have happened and should be forgotten." With that, she to left the room, leaving Beast Boy by himself.

"Oh, well that explains everything!" He yelled at the closed door. Growling, he turned to the room, looking for something to take out his anger on. Now, not only did he have more questions the answers, he had tasted paradise, only to have it ripped away. Finding the room already destroyed, he screamed and cursed. "How the hell can she expect me to just forget that? Did it mean that little to her?" He sat in the middle of the destruction. "Apparently, I was a fool to think that she would have any feelings at all." He punched the floor. "Well, if that's how she wants it, then fine! That's just fine with me! I can be emotionless too!" He turned to the door and screamed again. "You hear that Raven? I don't care about you! I don't care what you do anymore! I just. Don't. Care!"

Raven had not wandered far. Stopping out side the door, she listened to Beast Boy rant with a expressionless face.

"Good. It's for the best if he doesn't care. No one's supposed to care. Not him, not the other Titans, no one." Being with the Titans had softened her, opened her up slowly. Peeling away the layers of training. News of her mother's death had weakened and cracked all her barriers, and Beast Boy had succeeded in breaking them completely. However, the lecture from Jurisa had made her remember her training, and what she was. She was half demon and a danger to those around her. She mustn't allow such a breach to happen again. Straightening her shoulders, she proceeded towards the main courtyards were he ceremony was to take place. Pausing briefly, she took out a slip of parchment from her cloak. It was ragged and seemed to have been ripped from something. She failed to recognize it, or see the writing on the opposite side. She jotted a quick note on it, and used her powers to slip it through the door and rest were she knew Beast Boy to be. That done, she continued on.


	5. 5

I am trying my best to make these make sense. I know exactly what I'm talking about, but, please tell me if you are more lost then you think you should be.

* * *

"Booyah!" Cyborg yelled as he knocked out the criminal.

"Good work Titans. That's the second call we've had since Raven and Beast Boy left, but we need to be ready if something bigger comes up while we're two members short." The police hauled away the petty thief, who was now awake and screaming, but they paid him no attention.

Starfire touched down near them.

"I have surveyed the area. There does not appear to be anymore badness taking place nearby." Robin nodded to her, and checked his communicator once again for alerts.

"All right. But we still need to remember that this would be the perfect for a major villain to strike."

"Chill man, we can handle the city until those two get back."

"I wonder how our friends are faring? Friend Beast Boy has not contacted us since they arrived."

"Don't worry, they can take care of themselves. The worst that's going to happen is Raven's sadness over her mother's death." That was a turning point for Robin. It was one of the few times he was totally and completely dead wrong.

* * *

Raven continued walking the courtyard where the ceremony was to be held. True, it was still a few hours until moonset, but she needed time alone. She was not used to having another's presence so close to her so often. Alone was better she decided. Alone she didn't have to worry about the emotions of others. Alone, she could even block out the screaming inside her own mind that increased near others. Alone she had no extra complications. She'd be alone forever, so she might as well get used to it now. 

Suddenly she realized she was not as alone as she had thought.

* * *

Beast Boy was still muttering angrily in what remained of the room. He paced for a few minutes, but found little comfort in that either. Sighing, he sat back down, and remembered what he had screamed at Raven. 

"It would be easier if I didn't care. But I do…God I do…" Softly, he touched his own lips, which had been so recently pressed up against hers. Closing his eyes, he could almost relive the moment. Then he snapped them open. "God! Why does she have to be so…so ugh! Why can't these people just let her be?" As if in answer to his question, a piece of paper floated in his eyesight. "Huh?" he reached up to grab it. On one side was a handwriting he didn't recognize. The handwriting was unsteady as of one who had long ago forgotten the English language, or of one who is very sick.

"_Even the seemingly endless night has a dawn. The clouds will part and the sun will shine." _

"Huh?" He didn't have a clue what it meant. He was about to throw the paper away, when he noticed another note on the other side, written in Raven's spidery handwriting.

"_Beast Boy. Do not leave the chambers. I am proceeding to the ceremony and will return when it is complete."_ At that point, he almost ripped the paper. He was angry at her, angry at the people who lived here. She couldn't just tell him to stay put like a child. Not after what happened between them. The people around here couldn't tell her what to feel either. They couldn't foresee the future. As far as he could tell from his own experiences, the future was a fluid thing that was subject to change depending on a person's choices. However, instead of ripping the paper, he placed inside a hidden pocket in his belt with his communicator. Then he proceeded to leave the room.

Walking, he realized that he had absolutely no idea where he was going, but he didn't care. He just needed out of that room. Whether it was because he cooped up or because he needed to not listen to Raven, he didn't know.

Wandering, he found a huge door. Curious, he walked up to it. It looked quite normal, but it seemed to emanate power. There was script written above it, but, he couldn't read it. Reaching out his hand, he grasped and was about to open it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" a dry voice came from behind him, he jumped to find a man standing behind him.

"Why? It's just a door."

"If you think that, then you are more ignorant then even your charge believes you are." Questions marks popped from his head.

"Huh?" the man sighed.

"The door is our portal to other dimensions. It is forbidden. You do know what that word means, don't you?" Beast Boy slouched down a little, frustration welling up again.

"I'm not that stupid."

"I am disinclined to believe you at this point. You observe everything, but understand little of what you see. You hate our people without cause."

"Without cause? Your people rejected Raven! Tell me, what has she done? Nothing! Your not one to talk, you hate her without reason!" He was even more angry at everything after the events. He still had no answers. It felt good to be able to relieve some of the anger onto someone else.

"Like I have said you understand little. No one truly hates Raven. We understand that she alone is not responsible for the things that have occurred and will occur in the future." Beast Boy snorted.

"Well, you sure do a good job of hiding it. I've seen the way people look at her and treat her."

"There was a law passed when she was born. After we looked into her future and saw what it held. It was forbidden to express love or concern towards her, lest she feel and release the demons hidden inside her. People found it easier to hate. Your charge has not had an easy life by any reckoning."

"And you just let this happen? Couldn't you have done something? Your are magical or something! Dude, if you can look into the future then couldn't you have done something to help her?" The man shook his head.

"To do so would mean fighting and interfering with destiny. Our people are pacifists. We will not raise arms. Not for any reason." Beats Boy shot him an incredulous look.

"Why do you keep calling her my 'charge' its not like I'm her keeper. She's her own person!"

"You are her protector. She has appointed you as so. You will stay with her throughout even the toughest times."

"Yeah, like when you refuse to help her? Or when she thinks her own people hate her? I may be stupid, but even I know that hatred only breeds more hatred." The man shook his head.

"She knows as well as any other that there are reasons that things are done. We will accept the reasons and the consequences at any cost." Beast Boy glared at him.

"You people disgust me. For God's sake, grow a back bone!" He turned away. "Now, I'm going to go find my 'charge' as you so kindly put it. I think we have some things to talk abut." He left the man standing in front of the door.

* * *

"Azar" Raven turned to greet her long dead mentor. 

"My child. You have learned your lessons well. You are strong. Yet, at times, being too strong is just as bad as being weak."

"I am not in the mood for riddles. Please state your reasons clearly and leave."

"Raven you know very well that even for you, total repression is dangerous."

"Not as dangerous as the emotions I have been feeling. Without barriers I fear I will fulfill the prophecy."

"Prophecies can be misinterpreted. You must go back to your protector. You will need him."

"I need no protector, nor do I have one." Azar smiled slightly.

"Yet you choose one. And you have chosen well. He will help you until the end."

"I. Don't. Need. Anyone!"

"Your soul is in turmoil Raven. You deny it, but you forget I taught you. I apologize in advance, but I am doing this for your own good. Running will not work forever." Azar reached out a transparent hand to touch Raven's forehead.

"Wait, Azar! What are you…" She never finished her sentence.

* * *

Man, I'm really bad at cliff hangers...sorry. I am already working on the next chapter, so it should be up soon. 


	6. 6

Before this chapter begins, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed. Thank you! And, to those who told me outright that I should work on spelling and grammar, thank you.

Alys has been kind enough to be my beta-reader. Most of the descriptive writing are things that she has kindly added. Thank you! Ok, you can read the story now.

* * *

Muttering about pacifists and overzealous idealists, Beast Boy found himself in the courtyard, where he assumed the ceremony was to be held. Except there was something out of place. 

In the middle of the path was a crumpled body, one that he recognized all too well.

"Raven!"

He ran to where she was lying. "Rae, are you alright?"

It was a stupid question; he could see that she wasn't. But he hoped she would answer.

She didn't.

"She won't wake."

He turned towards the voice, putting himself between it and Raven. "Who are you?"

"That is not your concern. All you need to know is that you are the one who can care for her. You are her protector. You will stand by her." With that, the vision disappeared.

"I am not!" he screamed violently. "I can make my own decisions! Raven can take of herself! She doesn't need me, she told me so herself! Why are you doing this to us!" But he received no answer.

He screamed once more before turning to Raven, drawing in a deep breath. "…Okay. I feel better now."

He knelt beside her. He didn't see any outward sign of injury, but he could feel the silent heat radiating from her still form.

"She has a fever," he concluded aloud, studying her for a moment. "But…wait…Raven doesn't get sick. Her magick protects her, so that means…argh! Never mind. All this thinking's making my brain hurt."

As gently as his trembling hands would allow, he reached out and picked her up. It was much easier than he expected.

"You _really_ have to eat more."

She didn't reply.

Even so, the words had barely tumbled from his mouth before he heard a series of footsteps behind him. Instinctually, he turned to see who it was…then gasped.

"You!" Beast Boy hissed loudly, hovering above Raven like a shield.

Jerichana made a motion to be silent. "Quiet! If someone finds you here…" She trailed off. "Listen, just follow me. You're her protector, but you need to trust me."

He just stared at her. "I am NOT her protector! And why should I trust you?"

"I have given you no reason to. But please, just follow me."

Giving in with a defiant shrug, Beast Boy reluctantly did as he was told. This could be his only hope.

Jerichana led him to a quiet room not far from the courtyard.

"Here. No one will think to look for you in here. It was Mistress Arella's, and is now off-limits. Medicine is in the cabinet to your right."

For the second time in their brief encounter, he stared at her. "Why are you doing this? I thought you hated Raven."

She looked at him sadly.

"That's what you're supposed to think. You can't tell her I was here. Pretend you found this on your own. Tell her she should get out of here as soon as possible." She took Raven from him and laid her on the bed. "Give her as much liquid as she can accept, otherwise she'll dry out. The fever shouldn't last for more then twenty-four of your hours."

"_My_ hours? They're everybody's hours!"

She glared at him, and pointed towards the left cabinet. "Get the medicine."

Beast Boy sighed, but went to go look at the medicines. He opened the cupboard door.

"Oh man, you _have_ to be joking!" He had been expecting normal medicines, like Tylenol or Aspirin. "Willow bark? Chamomile? _Mustard_? What the heck _is_ this stuff?" The herbs held no meaning for him whatsoever, even though they were labeled in English.

Jerichana looked at him from where she was, setting a teapot over the fireplace in the next room. "It's medicine. Bring me the willow bark."

Carefully, Beast Boy pulled out the clay jar marked 'Willow Bark.' Jerichana took a small spoonful and placed it inside a metal ball, which she then placed into the kettle. "This'll help reduce her fever. Don't give her more than two cups an hour. However, with a fever this high, she'll probably get delirious. If she does, don't do anything. Just stop her if she's about to hurt herself. I have to go. They'll be missing me soon." She turned hastily to leave.

Beast Boy panicked.

"Wait! Don't just leave! I need answers! Why am I her protector? Why me? Was it…" He hesitated before the words found their way out. "…Was it because I kissed her?"

She sighed. "No. She chose you a long time ago. Haven't you noticed the way you always go to her? Even though you're not sure why?"

Thinking back, he realized that he did, but had never really thought about it. Whenever Raven found herself in trouble, he always felt pulled to her side…even when it seemed that she'd be fine on her own.

"You can understand our language because you kissed her, though," Jerichana added matter-of-factly.

At this point, Beast Boy became consciously aware of something strange—something that, up until now, only his subconscious mind had made note of. Her lips were not moving to the sound of her words. It was as if he were watching a badly dubbed movie.

"Get her to teleport you both home as soon as possible. She shouldn't attend the ceremony, even if she _is_ better in time." She walked to the door. "Good luck," was her last utterance before she stepped carefully through it, and vanished.

Watching her until she disappeared from his line of vision, Beast Boy heaved a rather heavy sigh. "_Now_ what am I gonna do?" He sat down beside Raven, trying not to literally twiddle his thumbs.

Unpleasantly aware of the immense boredom that was closing in on him from all sides, the idea struck him: why didn't he just tell the others about the situation?

"Yeah! Maybe they can even bring us home!" Excited with the brilliance of this new plan, he flicked on his communicator. "Hey guys, are ya there?"

There were the distant sounds of battling before a high-pitched voice—definitely Starfire's—came through.

"I apologize, but we are unavailable for service at the moment. Please tell me your name and position and we shall return as soon as…"

"Star! This is _kind_ of an emergency!"

"Oh, friend Beast Boy!" gasped the Tameranean. She was breathless. "Please, do not move for one moment."

Beast Boy obediently waited as the fighting sounds in the background grew louder. He wondered briefly if maybe they had been called out, and if so, who they were up against. At last, he heard the details.

"You stupid robot, give me the remote!"

"No way, Bird Boy! BB ain't here, so I get priority!"

"Well, I'm the leader, so…"

"Please, we must stop this badness; our friends are in need of…"

"Get your hand offa me!"

"Same to you, buddy!"

"Please, if I could just…"

"That's it! You're in for…"

"STOP!"

There was the sound of a starbolt, and then silence.

"Well…there goes the sixth remote."

If he hadn't been so impatient with them, Beast Boy would have laughed. At least it sounded like they weren't suffering from being down two members.

"Friend Beast Boy is in need of assistance immediately," Starfire dutifully announced.

The communicator was apparently picked up by Robin.

"Alright, Beast Boy, what's the problem?"

"Well, Raven's sick and I need to get home."

There was a pause on the other line. "But…Raven doesn't get sick…"

"I know! Tell that to the fever." Beast Boy sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Look, can you just send the T-Ship? I don't think she can teleport us, and I don't know if they have the technology here. Even if they do, I doubt they'll loan it to me. Plus, they don't even have real medicine!"

"Uh…B…we can't."

"Well, why not? I don't need all of you; you guys can hold down the fort with two! It won't take long…will it? I mean, how far is Azarath from Earth?"

He suddenly realized that he had no clue where Azarath was.

"Well, technically it's _on_ Earth. It's an alternate dimension. We have no way of getting there except for Raven."

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding. Please tell me you're joking…."

"Sorry, but you're on your own for a while. I'll see what I can scrounge up, but I wouldn't count on us being able to access the right frequency to transport across dimensions."

"Dude, this so totally sucks! What am I supposed to do?"

An alarm went off in the background. He could hear groans.

"Not again! Look, Beast Boy, we have to go, but we'll check in when we get back. Good luck." With that, the communications were abruptly cut off.

Beast Boy gave a resignated sigh. He looked at Raven, then at the kettle that was still heating up, and then back to Raven.

"Well, that was helpful." He dipped a spare cloth into the water to place over Raven's forehead, and waited for the water to boil. Maybe it would actually do him good to settle down for some quiet time.

After only a few seconds, though, he began to grow restless. "There's nothing to do!" he cried, and pouted in the general direction of the kettle. "Argh! Just boil already!"

But, as the old saying goes, a watched pot never boils. Instead, he heard moans coming from the bed.

His eyes widened. "Raven!"

He raced towards her. She was frantically thrashing about, covers winding around her form, the cloth thrown off and discarded forlornly on the floor beside her. Her lips moved as she feverishly muttered words beyond his comprehension. Suddenly, she screamed and sat up straight, breathing heavily. He rushed to support her.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here, you're alright…"

Her fever-bright eyes simply stared into nothingness.

"…Raven?"

Suddenly, she flinched, curling up under the blankets. "No! Make him go away! Please, Father! Leave me alone!"

Getting scared, he tentatively placed a hand on her blanketed shoulder.

"Rae?" he breathed. "…He's not here. Whoever you're talking about, he's gone. I'm not gonna hurt you."

He realized that she must be delirious, as Jerichana had warned him. Slowly, her sobs quieted, and she seemed to be sleeping again.

With nothing else to do but wait again, he leaned back onto a nearby chair and prepared for a short nap, all the while wishing that there was something more he could do.


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry about the wait. I may reload a more descriptive version later, but here it is for now.

* * *

"Beast Boy?" She watched as the silhouette walked towards her. Though she could not discern features or colour, the height and gait suggested that her joking friend. Yet, he didn't reply to her query.

Slowly, she moved back. His speed didn't change as he advanced onto her. She quickly found herself pressed against a solid immovable object.

Suddenly, light sprang from no perceptible source. The figure in front of her was indeed Beast Boy. But, not the Beast Boy she knew. His mouth no longer quirked into a quick smile, and his eyes no longer held the usual sparkle that they did in all but the direst situations.

"Beast Boy?" She asked again. She tried, and failed miserably, at keeping the tremble of uncertainty out of her voice.

His lips curved upwards. Not into his normal contagious smile, but a malicious leer.

"Hello Raven. Remember me?" She recognized the voice coming from him, but, it was not the voice she associated with him. She couldn't even place who's voice is was. "I've missed you my sweet. You're _friends_ have missed you as well."

Five shadows appeared behind him, and slowly sharpened into people she knew very well.

"No…" These were not the people she remembered. There was Starfire, red hair limp and lifeless, lips curled into a cruel smirk and eyes highlighted with the brightness of being close to the kill. And there was Robin, eyes still covered, but radiating a lust for battle. Next to him as Cyborg, who's human eye glinted with the anticipation of fresh blood. And last…last was _her_. Blonde hair waving, blue eyes laughing ruthlessly, lips set into a condescending smile. She was dressed in little more then metal and bandages.

"We've missed you. We've all missed you." They chorused. "Return to us." However, as she had noticed with Beast Boy, their voices did not match her memory. She was hearing someone else's voice, seeing someone else in their eyes. These were not her friends. Digging through memories, she matched the voices to faces.

"No! You can't be! You're all…"

"Gone?" Malchior's voice, still patronizingly sweet, resounded in her ears, even covered them with her hands. "No my sweet Raven. We never left. You did."

"And we want you back." Slade's deep voice added. A flowing laugh bubbled in the sultry tones of the villaness Blackfire.

"You didn't _really_ think we'd leave you now, did you?"

"You rejected us, but we'll still accept you." Brother Blood's voice cut through her barriers she was trying to erect to block them out.

"After all." Terra moved towards her. "That's what friends are for." Hands reached out to stroke and grab her, passing through her barriers as if they didn't exist. And, perhaps they didn't.

"Come with us. You belong with us. Only we can protect you." Voices bombarded her from every direction.

"No…no…no!"

* * *

Beast Boy had just finished preparing the tea, relieved that the water had finally boiled, when he heard Raven cry out again. Running, he found she wasn't thrashing about, just quietly whispering. Somehow, that scared him more.

"Raven?"

"No…no…no….no" tears were running down her cheeks. He gently placed a hand on shoulder, shaking her slightly.

"Raven, wake up, you're…you're scaring me Rae!" Her eyes snapped open, and regarded him. Her eyes were no longer over bright with heat, but with fear. "You OK Raven?" she blinked, and an emotionless look replaced it so quickly, he could've sworn that it was never there.

"What kind of dumb question is that?" She mumbled. "I wouldn't be…here if I" she yawned "wasn't…" She wasn't completely coherent. Her words were slightly jumbled and oddly spaced. Even he could see it was hard for her to force herself to stay awake.

"Here. I have some tea." He placed the cup at her lip to encourage her to drink. She took a small sip and grimaced. "Didn't I make it right?"

"I…hate this stuff…it tastes awful." He was surprised at how young she sounded. Like a child complaining about medicine

"But it'll help! C'mon Rae. You need to get better so we can go home." She smiled slightly, before taking another few sips of the ea.

"Home…that sounds…nice." She continued to slowly sip until the cup was empty. Beast Boy was slightly happier. She seemed to be doing better. Not that he knew anything about medical stuff, but, talking to him was a good sign, right?

"OK, you go back to sleep, then you can take us back home! And we can play video games! Well, Ok, I can play video games and you can watch while I kick Cy's butt, and we can go fight over pizza toppings, well, again you can watch us…" He looked to find her eyes were closed. She looked….peaceful. Well, almost peaceful. Except for one worry line in forehead. He reached over to smooth it out. "I'll shut up right about now…" he whispered. Just as he was about to pull back, a weak hand caught his.

"No, please, don't stop talking…." Again, he saw how young Raven really was. How young they all were. They were just kids really. However much they tried to hide behind facades. "I…need to hear your voice…please?" He put his free hand up to scratch his head. For once at a total lose for words. She wanted to hear him of all people? "If…I hear you…I won't hear them…" He still had didn't have any idea what the nightmares were that plagued her, but if he could help, then why not?

"Uh…Ok, what do you want me to say?"

"Anything…" She was fading into the realm to sleep "You never had trouble with words, tell me a story, a joke….just…just keep talking…." The hand that was weakly grasping his own grew lax. He caught it as it fell and held it in his own.

"Anything, huh Raven? You sure 'bout that one?" She didn't answer, apparently asleep. "Talk? Well, I'll try." He sighed. "You were right Rae, you really are complicated. I really don't understand a thing about you. I guess they were right. I see a lot. Around here, back at the tower, but, I can't make any sense of it. I don't know why the hell you act the way you do. I don't know why these people act the way they do. I don't know….I don't know why you choose me. I mean, I know you don't hate me or anything, I just…never thought you liked me. But…you let me kiss you right? And you kissed me back. That gotta count for something." He sat down on the bed beside her sleeping form, never letting go of her hand. "I'm still angry, you know. I still haven't really gotten any answers from you. Then you decide to pull a stunt like this! Sometimes I wonder whether you'll ever explain anything. I really wish you would though…"


End file.
